Hello everyone. Sorry this took so long. I've been busy with all sorts of things recently- my college homework (the main culprit of my lack of time), wedding planning, and well... just life in general. I'm thinking this week will be less time consuming in terms of homework, so I'm hoping to get some more writing done than in the past few weeks.
Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Part of it was inspired by an episode of The Big Bang Theory. For those of you have watched it and have seen one of the newest episodes, you'll be able to pin point which part it was. =P Enough of my babbling. Here is Chapter 20! =)
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Holly was not thrilled about meeting Butler at the airport. Of all places, he had picked one that was seriously one of the most dangerous to fairies. They could easily be picked up by the radar used by airplanes while shielded, and could easily be hit by one as well. Very few things made Holly more nervous than an airport full of humans, and one of them was flying into an airport full of humans with a dangerous mission at hand. To top it all off, Holly had Mulch Diggums to smuggle in as well. Holly hadn't been with the dwarf for but a few hours, and she was already sick of being in his company. She had him strapped to her Moonbelt, and wrapped in cam foil. While not fool proof, it was all Holly could do to transport Mulch across the country from E116. Holly was certainly glad she had been able to restore her magic before making this trip back. Although she wished she could use some of it on Mulch to shut him up.
"I don't see what good I'm going to do for Fowl," Mulch insisted. "From what I've gathered it's just a reconnaissance mission."
Holly rolled her eyes. "I don't know what the plan is, Mulch, but I'm sure Artemis wouldn't request your presence if it wasn't needed."
Mulch snorted. "He better hope he wouldn't. If I find out that I have no purpose, and I could've been doing business for myself, I'm going to be a very angry dwarf."
Holly sighed, trying her hardest to block him out. Right now she needed to focus on the air around her, and figure out exactly where the Fowl's Lear jet was parked in the airport. Bishop International Airport was finally coming into view, and Holly was grateful that it was nighttime. During the nighttime, the haze created by her shield and the cam foil would be less visible than during the day, meaning there was less of a chance of her exposing the People.
As the elf flew through the airspace around the airport, she kept her eyes peeled for the fancier airplane owned by the Fowls. Sure enough, she spotted it towards the back of the airstrip, obviously in its final preparations before flight. Holly slowly descended towards the sleek plane, already feeling uneasy about boarding. Upon landing next to the plane, she released Mulch from her belt, causing him to fall to the ground next to her with a thud.
"You should really be more careful next time, Holly," he grumbled. "I am rather fragile, you know."
"Oh shut up and c'mon," Holly groaned. She glanced around to make sure no one was looking. Once she was clear, Holly led Mulch to the door of the jet, quickly stepping inside and shutting the door behind them. Almost immediately, angry sounding music echoed through her ears. Holly removed her helmet, glancing around the stylish interior as she attempted to place where the music was coming from. Towards the back of the plane, Holly spotted the culprit.
Artemis sat crossed legged in a meditative state, his eyes closed gently. Although Holly could tell he was trying to relax, she knew based on the music coming from the speakers that he was far from happy or calm. The song blaring through the speakers certainly was not a happy song by any means. Mars, the Bringer of War, her mind thought, although she wasn't entirely sure when she had picked up on Mud Men orchestral suites. "Oh no," she finally said out loud.
"What is that?" Mulch asked, confused as what Holly was talking about.
"That is Artemis' 'I'm unhappy and about to destroy the planet' music," Holly explained, sighing in the process. The elf tossed her helmet on a nearby chair before continuing over to her friend. His eyes were still closed tightly, and he hadn't noticed her presence. When Holly was directly in front of him she spoke again. "You doing okay, sweetie?"
Artemis' eyes flew open, more than likely enraged at being called 'sweetie.' He glared at Holly for a moment before saying, "There's ominous music playing, and I'm attempting to meditate. I don't know about where you're from, but where I'm from that means I'm not doing okay."
Holly frowned slightly. She was afraid of that. "I'll have Butler make you some tea."
"Tea is for when I'm upset," Artemis intervened. "I'm in the process of retrieving a friend of mine who has been kidnapped by a deranged megalomaniac bent on getting revenge on me for something that occurred years ago; I'm outraged."
Holly was so focused on figuring out what was wrong with Artemis she hadn't even noticed Mulch saunter over to them. "Is there a drink for being outraged?" he asked.
"Actually," Artemis started, shifting his legs so they were no longer crossed. "I would usually drink-"
"No!" Holly cut off. The last thing she wanted was to get Artemis going. When he was moody, it didn't take much to get him ranting about one thing or another. She surely didn't want to have a discussion about beverages right now.
"Very well," Artemis concluded, brushing some creases out of his shirt. He reached over for a remote control that was sitting a few feet away. After pressing a button, the ominous music turned off, allowing Holly to breathe a much needed sigh of relief. "I see you brought Mr. Diggums here as I requested."
"Yes, Artemis. As a matter of fact, I did," Holly answered sarcastically. "I hope he has a use that is worth all the trouble I was put through to get him here."
Artemis didn't say anything for several moments, something that was beginning to irritate Holly slightly. He was musing something over in his head, as if he hadn't made a final decision about something. "Actually, Mulch is our back up," he announced. "He'll stay nearby, but we probably won't need him if everything goes off without a hitch."
Holly rolled her eyes once again. "You have got to be kidding me Artemis. Nothing goes off without a hitch with you! Rescuing your father... getting the C Cube back the first time... the whole Limbo thing... that time you almost got killed by a gorilla... you dying and Foaly having to go through some convoluted process to bring you back! C'mon Artemis. Haven't you learned anything over the years?"
Artemis sighed. "I have learned quite a bit, actually. And I think one of the things that sticks out the clearest in my memory is that someone told me to do what was right. Right now, that's saving my friend from the clutches of Spiro, no matter the cost. Mulch shouldn't be needed, but I included him in the plans just in case something goes awry."
"Alright," Holly muttered. "Where are Juliet and Butler anyways?"
Artemis gestured at the cockpit. "They're getting things ready for departure. We'll be leaving in a matter of moments. I believe we were only waiting on your arrival. But then again, I could be mistaken." Artemis reached over to the ledge next to him, pressing a button, which Holly then discovered was an intercom button. "Butler... Holly and Mulch have arrived. Are we ready for departure?"
After a few seconds of silence, Butler's voice roared over the speakers. "Yes sir. Everything in place? The C Cubes in their case?"
Holly watched Artemis side glance at the brief case sitting next to him before pressing the intercom again. "Yes," he answered quietly.
Holly awaited Butler's response with anticipation. "Alright. We'll take off in a moment. Fasten your seat belts everyone."
Holly took that as her cue. The elf backed away from Artemis, and sat in one of the single seats in front of him. The elf strapped herself in, not even paying attention to what the other occupants were doing. Admittedly, Holly couldn't wait to get this trip over with. She wasn't sure how Artemis planned on getting her into the building, but she was hoping he had an idea for that too. She felt the plane start to move, something that she was so used to with shuttles it didn't faze her anymore. The elf glanced out her window, briefly watching them ascend past the clouds. As beautiful as it was, Holly really wasn't in the mood. She closed her eyes, hoping that maybe she would be able to catch a nap in the very brief flight from Flint to Chicago.
After only a few minutes, Holly knew that wasn't going to be possible. Her mind was too busy racing. She had too many thoughts drifting through her mind to even begin to fall asleep. She wanted to know so many things right now, the main thought being:
What had gotten into Artemis Fowl to make him act like this?
Holly's mind began coming up with reasons to explain her friend's random change in heart. He would've never risked so much for someone he had just met before. Why was Diana so important to him? Why was it that he was willing to get rid of one of his prized possessions to get her back home safe? Maybe he was suffering from his Atlantis Complex again. Holly quickly shook that idea away. If that were the case, she would be batting off compliments from Orion nonstop.
Perhaps he just valued her friendship? Holly somehow didn't think that one covered it all. Artemis valued Butler's friendship, and her own. There was something missing about this one.
Then an idea so absurd hit Holly she almost burst into laughter. What if he was in love? Artemis Fowl... in love. It wasn't possible. But it made more sense than friendship. Holly had seen Artemis interact with Diana; it was certainly nothing like when she had seen him interact with other girls, not even Minerva. He expressed fondness for her, even enjoyed her company. Holly had seen the coverage Foaly had sent her- the security tapes from the museum, mall, and restaurant. Holly had seen the way Artemis looked at her, the way he spoke of her. A ping of jealousy struck her for a moment, but it soon passed. She told herself years ago it would never work out, and she was right to think so. He was a human, and she was an elf. Not to mention the age difference between them. She did love Artemis, but she learned that it was more or less the love one had for a younger sibling. She glanced back at him, noticing the way he stared longingly out the window. She hadn't seen him look this stressed in a long time. Maybe that was it then.
Maybe Artemis Fowl was in love.